Rich Asians seeking sustainable investment opportunities

(Responsible business, 11 Jul 2019) Asia’s wealthy individuals are increasingly aware of, and deploying their capital in sustainable investments, according to a new survey from Standard Chartered Private Bank.

The bank found that ‘High Net Worth’ investors in the key markets for wealth management — China, Hong Kong, Singapore and India — expect to increase their allocations to sustainable investments to 20 per cent of their total portfolios.

In China, the majority of investors who responded to the survey already have between a quarter and a half of their funds to sustainable investments.

Despite growing awareness of sustainability, and a growing commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals among Asia’s wealthy individuals, there is still a general lack of understanding of the sector, the report found. Didier von Daeniken, global head of private banking and wealth management at Standard Chartered said: “It is encouraging to know that investors have more access to information on sustainable investing. Nonetheless, some misconceptions still exist, and this is where banks play a crucial role to educate and help investors overcome their barriers to investing for impact.”